FOOD AID. A former rebel (right) receives the PHP20,000 livelihood assistance under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Office 6 Sustainable Livelihood Program on May 5, 2022. James Rubino, in-charge of the End to Local Communist Armed Conflict program at the Antique Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, said Thursday (Nov. 17, 2022) the DSWD will release food assistance to 39 former rebels on Nov. 22 in San Jose de Buenavista. (PNA file photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Thirty-nine out of the 49 former rebels (FRs) in the province will receive food assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Office 6 on Nov. 22.
James Rubino, in-charge of the End to Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) program at the Antique Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), said in an interview Thursday the 10 other FRs, who only surrendered a few months ago, will be given later.
“Each of the 39 FRs will be receiving PHP5,000, that will be for the first semester of 2022,” he said, adding these FRs are from the towns of Sibalom, Sebaste and Culasi.
Rubino said the food assistance, which for the first time will be given to FRs, was provided in response to the request of Antique PSWDO.
Starting this year, DSWD will be giving food aid to the FRs every six months to alleviate their situations as they begin to reintegrate in their communities.
“Since the implementation of the ELCAC program, the (49) FRs were also given (livelihood) assistance under the DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) in the amount of PHP20,000 each,” he said.
Rubino said their projects, such as sari-sari stores, cattle-fattening and hog-raising, had been monitored to be on full blown implementation.
“Our latest monitoring of the SLP was only two months ago,” he said.
He added FRs who had changed their project proposals, such as from sari-sari stores to cattle-fattening, are also coordinated with the DSWD and PSWDO for approval. (PNA)
